How long should we be reworking product made with multiple lots of rework?

Hello fellow Food Safety Folks!

We sell a confectionary product that is heated in a kettle to an internal temperature of 228°F and then is cooled in a temperature controlled room. After it is cured, some of it is turned into rework, where it is then reused the next time that product flavor is made and sometimes it is not all used that same day. Whatever is leftover is put into the freezer for another day or just thrown out. The issue I have been wondering about, is if that next batch was made with rewor also becomes rework, how long can/should we continue reworking product which has been made with multiple lots of rework? As a product made with peanut butter and dairy, I worry that with the limited shelf life, it might cause micro issues and/or shorten the shelf life of the finished product after so long.

I hope this makes sense, I struggle to wrap my head around it!

Any advice, concerns or thoughts are very welcome!
 

The issue here isn't how long you can rework your product for-as long as it's not getting contaminated during chilling and storage, that should be fine

HOWEVER--the more batches you work into rework the more complex your traceability becomes

So --ask yourself, (and test it yourself) Can i successfully trace ALL materials (including all original raw materials from each and every batch) in 2 hours or less?  If the answer is NO--then you can say, ok we can only say rework 2 batches together

The proof will be in the pudding!

Reworking the product is a very delicate issue. Multiple handling of the product can cause cross contamination. Better to avoid rework. If situation compelled to do rework then ensure proper handling of the product.

Traceability of the product is also become more complicated. But it can be achieved within 2 hours if proper documentations are maintained and filled in real time.